I know I’m biased, but there’s no doubt in my mind that Long and Laurinaitis should both be on the team. Long had an absolutely masterful year, and Laurinaitis had a better year than Brian Urlacher, who made the squad ahead of him. I understand that you don’t get the same kind of consideration when your team is possibly the worst in the league, but it still sucks for those guys.

As far as SJ39 goes, I don’t know if he has as much of a case as the other two. He has had a very nice season, but with his lack of touchdowns it would be hard to convince anyone he should be in over the guys who were picked. That’s not to knock Steven, because it’s not his fault he hasn’t been in the end zone. That’s just how it is.

“ He has done very well in replacing Faulk as St. Louis’ feature back as an elite runner and receiver in his own right. It’s also a good sign he has looked his strongest as a Pro Bowler the past two seasons. Staying healthy to have three more of his typical seasons, he will crack the top 15 all-time in yards from scrimmage, giving him a strong case. More team success with the Rams would be a big boost.”

It’s hard to argue those points, but I have to think that the Rams as a team will have to make a deep postseason run at some point before he retires if SJ39 is going to make the Hall. As good as he is and has been, I find it difficult to believe that he will get the recognition he deserves unless this team becomes a threat in the NFC over the next few years. I certainly think that’s possible, especially if Jackson stays healthy and we get another back to take some of the pressure off.

On to this miserable schedule. Ok, I guess the whole thing isn’t brutal, but the first half is. For anyone who hasn’t seen it, here is the list:

Week 1 – vs Philadelphia; Week 2 - at New York Giants; Week 3 – vs Baltimore; Week 4 – vs Washington; Week 5 – BYE; Week 6 – at Green Bay; Week 7 – at Dallas; Week 8 – vs New Orleans; Week 9 – at Arizona; Week 10 – at Cleveland; Week 11 – vs Seattle; Week 12 – vs Arizona; Week 13 at San Francisco; Week 14 at Seattle; Week 15 vs Cincinnati; Week 16 – at Pittsburgh; Week 17 – vs San Francisco.

First, the good news. The Rams will be on Monday Night Football for the first time since 2006, and they will appear twice this season. The first will be Week 2 at New York against the Giants, and they will be one again in Week 14 at Seattle. It’s too bad that they won’t have a home game on MNF, but it’s nice that this exciting young squad is finally getting some national recognition.

Now, on to the bad news. The first eight weeks of this thing are going to be tough sledding. Week 5 against Washington is the only game that I can peg as one we should be favored. Other than that, the other six games could easily be losses. Realistically, if we could get out of those games at 3-4, I would be ecstatic. It’s far more likely that we are 2-5 or 1-6 at the midway point. There are plenty of winnable games after Week 8, but this season is really going to depend on the first 8 weeks. We will meet up with Pat Shurmur Week 10, which is neat, and could have a big one in the elements at Pitt in Week 16.I like being at home for the last week of the season in case we are still playing for something, but I just don’t know if we will still be in a race at that point. All of this assumes, of course, that we actually have a 2011 season. After looking at what’s on our plate, it might not be the worst thing in the world if the first few weeks would be lost to the lockout. That’s sarcasm, but still…

What do you think? Hit up the comment section and let us know how you feel about the 2011 schedule. Also, we are still looking for writers, so hit me up at jstine31@gmail.com if you are interested.